'Israel' murdering children and women, committing genocide: Lula
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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva decries the ongoing Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the inauguration of the Gentileza transportation terminal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva affirmed on Saturday that what the Israeli occupation is committing in the Gaza Strip is not a war but rather genocide against the Palestinian people.
"What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide. Children and women are being murdered," he wrote on his account on X.
Da mesma forma que eu disse quando estava preso que eu não aceitaria acordo para sair da cadeia e que eu não trocaria a minha liberdade pela minha dignidade, eu digo: não troco a minha dignidade pela falsidade. Eu sou favorável à criação do Estado Palestino livre e soberano. Que…
— Lula (@LulaOficial) February 23, 2024
This comes a couple of days after Brazil said it has no plans to retract Lula's statement drawing parallels between Israeli atrocities in Gaza to Hitler's actions in Nazi Germany, Reuters reported citing sources with knowledge of internal discussions.
According to the sources, the directive from Lula is clear: there will be no retraction, and any responses will be conveyed through diplomatic channels.
Brazil recalled its ambassador to the Israeli occupation entity on Monday and summoned the Israeli ambassador to the country, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced.
The decision came shortly after the Israeli Foreign Minister announced that the Brazilian President was "persona non grata" over his statement about the Israeli war on Gaza.
Lula said on Sunday that "Israel" is committing "genocide" against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, likening its crimes to "Adolf Hitler's in Nazi Germany." This was not Lula's first time to draw such comparisons, nor was he the first world leader to do so.
During an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, the Brazilian President said, "What's happening in the Gaza Strip isn't a war, it's a genocide," detailing that Israeli troops were not fighting "soldiers against soldiers," but rather a highly prepared army against "women and children."
He expressed that what was going on in Palestine had happened in the past when Hitler "decided to kill the Jews."
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told the Brazilian ambassador that Lula's comments were "antisemitic" and would not be forgiven or forgotten.
Lula has been repeatedly critical of the Israeli onslaught on Palestine.
At a summit at the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, he criticized the United Nations for its failure to address international conflicts and harshly condemned "Israel's" actions in Gaza.
"Israel's behavior has no explanation: with the pretext of fighting Hamas, it is killing women and children," he said after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
In November, Lula called "Israel's attitude toward children, toward women, "equal to terrorism," stressing that "there's no other way to put it."
Netanyahu calls Lula's comments 'Holocaust trivialization'
Responding to Lula's comments, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to them as "Holocaust trivialization" that aims to strip the Jewish people of the right to "self-defense".
He stated that comparing the occupation to Nazis and Hitler was "crossing a red line."
Netanyahu also dared to claim that "Israel's" attempt to "defend itself" was being done by "upholding international law."
He stated that he decided to summon the Brazilian ambassador to "Israel" for an "immediate reproach".
Read more: Cuban President backs Lula's comments on Gaza genocide
